Dante Zubel began exploring music when he was introduced to the cello at age 7. Quickly taking a liking to the instrument and to music in general, Dante began teaching himself classical composition by age 9. Shortly after he began composing, Dante began taking lessons on the piano, double bass, voice, and the electric bass guitar. Additionally, he also taught himself clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and the organ.       On the cello, Dante expanded his education with Richard Hoyt, entering multiple solo and concerto competitions throughout the state. Hoyt has been a well-respected cello teacher in the Salt Lake area for decades, sending students to esteemed music colleges all over the country. Dante spent over 7 years studying with Mr. Hoyt, playing pieces that ranged from the Suzuki Method repertoire to the solo works and concertos of Bach, Brahms, Dvořák, Haydn, Popper, Saint-Saëns, Shostakovich, and more.       As a composer, Dante ultimately began to receive private instruction from Dr. Devin Maxwell. Under Dr. Maxwell's tutelage, Dante was able to quickly advance from a self taught child to a more mature composer, writing large scale works and competing at the highest level. Having been encouraged by his family and those who were generous enough to commission and perform works from him, Dante began entering his pieces in multiple annual competitions throughout middle school and high school. Almost all of these pieces received 1st place at the national level every year. Dante has since composed and arranged many works for a variety of different orchestrations in a variety of different genres.       Music education programs in Dante's public school system began at grade 6, before which he had taught himself to play clarinet with the help of his mother who also played clarinet in high school. "Testing out" of 6th grade band and playing in the band programs grades above his own, Dante played the clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, contralto clarinet, contrabass clarinet, and eventually the bassoon, too. Dante played in his school band programs all throughout middle school and high school. Once Dante reached high school, he continued to play in the wind ensembles and concert bands, but also auditioned and was accepted into the school's Jazz Band program on the double bass. During this time, Dante began to teach himself the electric bass guitar, having developed a renewed admiration for jazz music and other contemporary styles. Dante was awarded an Outstanding Soloist award at the Colorado Mesa University Jazz Festival as well as the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award at his senior performance with the high school jazz band.      On the electric bass, he studied privately under Dr. Denson Angulo for about 3 years before moving to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. Dante credits much of his musical knowledge and instinct to Dr. Angulo as well a greater love and understanding for a much broader scope of musical styles, musicians, and philosophies. Through Dr. Angulo, Dante was introduced to Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, and many other world-renowned players and educators at Victor Wooten's Center for Music and Nature.      At Berklee College of Music, Dante spent 4 years obtaining his Bachelor's in Music degree before graduating summa cum laude in the Spring of 2023. Dante majored in Performance with a minor in Effortless Mastery. Having the electric bass as his principal instrument and the double bass and the cello as secondaries, Dante spent much of his higher education concentrating on live performance and recording techniques, private music education, music theory, arranging, ear training, music technology, and Effortless Mastery.      Performing is one of Dante's strongest passions. He loves being able to make an audience move and feel. His mother says his name means "bringer of light and joy" and Dante has made it a personal goal to live up to that namesake through music. At Berklee, Dante played countless gigs ranging from classical orchestras and jazz combos to musical theater pits and large stages. Additionally, Dante studied and performed many types of music at Berklee, including Classical, Afro-Cuban, Latin, Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Soul, R&B, Folk, and Middle Eastern, with a particular emphasis in Pop, Rock, and Country.       Effortless Mastery is a philosophy documented famously by Berklee professor and famed jazz pianist Kenny Werner that aims to train our egos and preconceptions in order to prevent them from inhibiting our playing. You can read more in his book Effortless Mastery and in the Teaching Resources section of my Private Teacher Handbook, which can be accessed in the "Lessons" section of this site. The Effortless Mastery minor at Berklee also included a number of courses on Body Mapping, Awareness Training, and many other courses that focused on physical wellness and ergonomic playing.       In addition to his academic requirements, Dante spent much of his time performing and recording all around the city. In Berklee's state-of-the-art studios and recording suites, Dante amassed over 200 hours of recording experience aside from the 100+ hours spent recording at other local studios and doing remote recordings.       Other notable mentors include Ora Fay Oviatt (Dante's first music teacher without whom he might not have been a musician at all), Barbara Ann Scowcroft, Anthony Wellington, the many teachers at the various music camps Dante attended throughout the years, and the esteemed faculty at Berklee College of Music.

Early in his career as a cellist, Dante performed in ensembles ranging from trios and quartets to full-scale symphony orchestras. Some of these orchestras include the Suzuki Youth Orchestras of the Americas, the Nevada Chamber Symphony, the Utah Youth Orchestras and Ensembles, and the Uintah Basin Youth Chamber Orchestra. Dante started his professional career at about 10 years old when he was paid to play solo cello sets of about 4 hours at a local restaurant for Valentine's Day. Dante held this gig for another 8 years, playing solo cello sets and playing with his own jazz band, until he eventually passed the gig on to one of his own cello students. Dante began playing the organ at his local parish before he was 12 years old.       As a composer, Dante has had many works commissioned and performed, ranging from small ensembles to full-scale orchestra and chorus. Many among these compositions have also won multiple competitions every year at the local, state, and national levels. Local community orchestras like the Roosevelt Pops Orchestra and the Uintah Basin Orchestra and Chorus have both commissioned and performed orchestral pieces from Dante. Dante has had his pieces adopted by college music professors who have used them as performance repertoire in their pedagogy. Dante also has arranged many works for a variety of orchestrations and in different genres. Dante has competed as both a solo cellist and a composer from a young age.       Founding a small jazz band comprised mostly of local band teachers in his first year of high school, Dante acted as both band leader and bass player. Before he had graduated high school, the group had performed all over their area for a number of different occasions and was able to record and release a full-length album.       Dante has since spent countless hours recording both remotely and in state-of-the-art recording studios on the electric bass, double bass, cello, and more. Dante has also performed at some of the highest levels, opening for acts like Billy Dean and the Eli Young Band, often playing bass and providing background vocals simultaneously. Dante plays bass for artists like Kaylee Federmann, Luke Ogea, Karena Chou, and more. Additionally, he performs and records as a freelance hire as often as he can.

Teaching is one of Dante's greatest passions. Dante has been teaching both privately and as a teacher's assistant since he was about 14 years old, teaching a variety of instruments, ages, and musical topics. Since 2018, he has taught cello, double bass, electric bass, composition, theory, and more at Music for Life in Vernal, Utah, a music school certified by the Royal Conservatory of Music. Additionally, Dante has experience adjudicating soloists, small ensembles, large high school bands and orchestras, and multiple pop, rock, and country groups. He has given well-attended presentations and group lessons on subjects such as theory, improvisation, ensembleship, and listening. Dante also loves to voluntarily visit school music programs to offer any advise or encouragement that he can to the youth in music. Read more about Dante's teaching experience, lesson policies, and music philosophies in the "Lessons" tab.